Knight In Armour
by Dyslexic CSI
Summary: Kate has made a decision that will affect the team as a whole and one member more than the rest. Can they change her mind before it's too late or will the tables turn on her? Final chapter up
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **As usual I own nothing... wishing I did but anyway...

**A/N: **A friend of mine was getting married when I had started this fic. A day before her wedding I asked her if she was sure this was the guy she was willing to spend the rest of her life with. She did not answer immediately and I knew there was doubt in her mind... But eventually she did say yes, and so far they've been happy. Needless to say, my overactive imagination started once again and this was born.

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Knight in Armour 

"Kate, come on, it's almost time to go. You still need to get the rest of your stuff from upstairs," Tony urged and reminded the brunette agent who was still enclosed in her best friend's tight grip. Kate and Abby had been best friends ever since Kate had joined NCIS just a little less than two years ago. Retreating and trying to untangle herself from the Goth girl's embrace Kate convinced Abby to let her go.

"Come on, Abby, it's not like I'm moving to another country or even another state. I'm just leaving NCIS to pursue something else. I'll still be around whenever you need to talk and besides I'm just a phone call away," Kate finally convinced her. "Yeah I guess you're right," Abby replied, but still feeling depressed because her best friend and partner in crime was leaving.

No matter how much each of her colleagues had tried to convince her to stay Kate had already made up her mind to leave. There was no way she was going to be convinced to do otherwise, because that would simply mean she'd have to go through all the agony of saying bye again and she was not ready to do that. As it was, the first time was proving to be bad enough, she hadn't expected them to react the way they did and even though she felt the guilt building up, she firmly stood by her decision.

Tony had tried everything he knew possible to make her stay, but it did not help. At first, he threatened to tell their ever-grumpy boss, but Kate had pointed out that she had already given him her resignation letter. However, she did not mention that she was doubtful if Gibbs had even read it, since he was so occupied with some cold case he did not want the rest of the team helping him with.

Then Tony had tried blackmailing her with the wet T-shirt contest picture, claiming he would put it up on the NCIS website and would label it "NCIS's Sexiest Agent of the Century" making it available for everyone to download. The response he received to that was she was leaving so it didn't matter anyway. There was nothing in his power that he could do to make her stay.

McGee had tried as well. He had not resorted to the drastic measures Tony had, but he had tried and still Kate did not budge. There was absolutely no way she was going to reconsider her decision, especially since it had taken her months of debating, deliberating and countless nights of falling asleep crying until she had finally made up her mind.

Bracing herself for the last leg of her journey, Kate heaved a deep breath in and started toward the elevator, with her three friends in tow. The ride up to their floor was done in silence as each of them pondered how their team was now falling apart. As the doors swished open at their floor level, Kate looked straight in the direction of her desk, and the one of her boss.

She let out a sigh of relief when she saw that her boss was still not back from MTAC and she hoped he would stay there until she was gone. It would be much easier for her if he was not there when she left, but she knew she at least owed him an explanation for her sudden departure.

She was almost home free and on her way out when she heard him call her back to the bullpen and to her desk. "I don't remember giving you permission to leave, Agent Todd," he said gruffly and Kate immediately felt guilty. She focused on the carpet in front of her and forced herself not to make eye contact with him.

"It's been a long day, Gibbs, just let her go," Tony said when he saw Kate had no intention of standing up for herself. In fact, she looked much worse in the two minutes that Gibbs had recalled her than she had the entire day. It was as if all the fight had already left her body and mind.

"There's nothing left to do here anyway since we've finished all the paperwork and clearly you don't need help on the case you're currently working on," Tony said, coming to Kate's rescue. Knowing he was going to try to fight a losing battle with his senior agent, Gibbs conceded defeat and said, "So I guess I'll see you on Monday, then. Have a good weekend, guys and Kate, if there's anything wrong or missing in your report you will have to redo them all." Abby, Tony and McGee turned to look at Kate – flabbergasted. Gibbs still did not know she was leaving from the looks on their faces, and it did not seem like they wanted to be there when she did eventually tell him.

Seeing the expression on the Goth girl's face Kate decided she would give it one last try, "Gibbs, could I have a word with you?" At the sound of the question, the other three immediately grabbed their stuff and made their way out of the bullpen and Kate and Gibbs's presence at rocket speed. "Give me a few minutes, Kate. I need to show this to the people in MTAC. This is a really important case I'm working on! I'll be out in a few minutes," he replied, smiling, at her.

When a few minutes had turned into half an hour Kate debated on whether to leave or not. Still, she gave him a few more minutes, knowing it must have been a really important case since he had spent the better part of the previous two weeks holed up in MTAC and the Director's office. However, when two hours later, he still did not show any sign of returning to the bullpen she decided it was enough. She was tired of waiting, so she scribbled a note saying it was late and she needed to leave just to let him know.

As she placed the note on the top of the pile of papers on his desk, she noticed the blue envelope peeking out from under the stack of files. She had placed the envelope on his desk exactly two weeks before and it still looked like it was untouched. She sighed tiredly, walked around his desk, coming to his chair and flopped down tiredly into it. She picked up the envelope, removed the card from it, and read it once again. Then the doubt of whether to leave it there or take it back with her made an appearance in her mind

It had taken her weeks of mental preparation to just place it on his desk two weeks before and he still hadn't looked at it so there was no harm in leaving it there for just one more day, she convinced herself. Placing the card back into its covering and leaving at the top of the pile of papers she stood up, made her way behind his chair and pushed it neatly under his desk.

She ran her fingers over his coat, which was hanging on the back of his chair, and tried to memorize the smell that accompanied it. Then she gathered her stuff and made her way out of the bullpen, the parking lot, the NCIS building and finally and most importantly out of one Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs's life.

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So that's it for chapter 1. Not sure how long it's going to be as I'm kinda lost with ideas.

Not going to say much except read and review... should I continue or not???

Enough reviews and I might start working in the second chapter this weekend... After the Rugby World Cup final which my team is going to win. Yeah the cup is going to come back to South Africa. And for those of you who don't know what rugby is - it's the male version of American Football.

Thanks

Hellraiser


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **See chapter I

**A/N: **None really... just that chapter II is here.

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Chapter II

When Kate reached her apartment, she was not surprised to see Luke already there waiting patiently for her. Kate knew from the look on his face that he wanted to know what had happened between her boss and Kate since he knew she was going to tell him about her resignation today. "How did he take it?" Luke asked quietly, he didn't want to press her for an answer, she would tell him when she was ready. "He didn't, I didn't get the chance to tell him, he went back into MTAC and still had not come out when I had left," she replied.

"Hey, let's not talk about this right now! I'll deal with it when I have to and besides Gibbs won't even realise I'm gone until he solves this high priority case he's working on," Kate said to him. "I hope you're right, Kate, or else you know how moody Gibbs can get and I do not want to be on the receiving end of that bad mood," Luke smiled in return. He had never met Gibbs before but what Kate had told him about Gibbs's moods was more than enough. It was not something he wanted to experience for himself. "Let's get a bottle of wine and then we can have that candlelit dinner you've been promising me for a while now.

Just as they were about to have desert Kate heard a knock on her door. Luke had heard it as well and stood up to answer it. He did not even bother to look through the peephole and see who it was or even ask Kate if she was expecting any other guests. He simply yanked the door open, letting in one extremely pissed off Special Agent.

Not caring about who was there or how loud and obnoxious he sounded, Gibbs stormed in and immediately zoned in on Kate. He saw that Kate had company but he really did not give a damn at that exact moment. He was too infuriated to worry about who was going to witness the scene that was about to take place.

"What the hell is this?" he waved a sheet of paper angrily above his head, making his way toward her. "I would assume it's a sheet of paper, Gibbs," she replied while smiling dopily, the effects of the alcohol now making its presence known. Her answer did not amuse him at all. It simply pissed him off even more, if that was even possible. She figured it was either the paper from the envelope she had left on his desk or her resignation letter she had handed in to Director Morrow a week ago.

Seeing the look on his face, she decided to settle on the resignation letter. By now, he was standing right in front of her and even in her slightly drunk state, she could feel the anger radiating from his body. He caught her by the elbow and led her to the bedroom that was furthest from where an astounded Luke was still standing. He made sure they were both completely inside the room before slamming the door shut, making a few of the picture frames on the wall shudder.

"When were you planning on telling me about this, Special Agent Todd?" he asked her, his voice unnaturally quiet, "or were you even planning on telling me?" The second question triggered her anger "Gibbs, I tried telling you about it these past two weeks but you were too busy with your high profile case to even notice what the rest of your team was doing!" she spat back at him. It was true – he had simply given his team instructions every morning and then disappeared into MTAC or the Director's office, often only coming out long after the bullpen was empty and when only a handful of agents remained to complete their paperwork.

He also remembered her coming to him on several occasions wanting to talk about something really important but at that point, there was nothing more crucial for him than solving the case he was working on. He had promised her time and again he would discuss it at the end of the day, only to find he would come out of MTAC long after normal working hours and all his agents gone.

He had never made an honest attempt to see what was on his agent's mind. "Still," he thought to himself "she had no business going over my head to the director and handing in her resignation." She did not belong to the director, okay well technically she did, but she was on his team and she belonged to him.

"That still does not give you the right to step over my head and hand this in," he waved the sheet of paper in front of her face once again, "to the director. I made the decision to hire you and I am the only one who can accept or decline this," he finished his voice becoming louder with every syllable.

"Well too bad, Special Agent Gibbs, your decision doesn't count because Director Morrow has already accepted it," she said heatedly, enjoying the look of anger on her boss's face. "Now I suggest you leave, since I have company and it's very rude of me to leave him unattended," she continued when he did not say anything for a long few seconds.

"Fine," he stepped up into her personal space and his body was a mere inch away from hers; like the way they sometimes stood at work. The speed of her breathing increased along with her heart rate. It was unnerving for her to be in such close proximity to her boss and even in this weird situation, she still felt the thrill of having him so close to her. "Then go to him," he said as he sidled even closer to her.

He slowly moved his face closer to hers, and her breathing became erratic and short and he could see her chest rise and fall faster than he had ever seen it before. Her eyes closed in automatic response to his actions as she waited for him to make his next move. She did not want him to see the desire she held in her heart for him, as she was afraid he did not feel the same way about him.

He left her hanging like that for a few minutes before he retreated from her space and made his way back to the door. "I hope you're happy with your decision," he said as he left her standing in her bedroom. Kate was surprised to see him leave as quickly as he did. She had expected more than just a few heated words. She had expected him to come in with guns blazing and with more of a fight than he had given her. (So did I) She was really confused by his behaviour, but as she stepped out of the room, she saw Luke and she knew she had to make this work.

"I guess he didn't take it too well, then!" Luke said as he saw her pale expression. "Nope, he did not," she replied affirming his statement. "Why don't we just continue with dessert," she said hoping it would get the thoughts of Gibbs invading her personal space out of her mind. "Sure" he replied and returned with two bowls of coffee flavoured ice cream and chocolate wafers

"I need to talk to him," was the only thought that invaded Kate's mind that night as she lay tossing and turning in bed. This was definitely more difficult than she had initially thought it would be.

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Thank you to my beta for putting up will all my mistakes and giving me suggestions.

As usual feedback is appreciated.

till next time

hellraiser


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **See chapter I

**A/N: **So I decided to get off my lazy ass and post this...

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Chapter III 

It had been three days since Kate had left the bullpen that evening and Gibbs had been moodier than the team had ever seen him. It had reached a point where even Abby was afraid to say something in front of him just in case he lashed out at them. This was not the Gibbs they were used to, sure, he was grumpy, temperamental, but this was now just crossing the line. To make matters worse, the cold case he was working on had turned up no new leads and he was back to square one.

Countless cups of coffee later, Gibbs was ready to beat up his computer, anything, or anyone that pissed him off. DiNozzo had so far kept his mouth shut, avoided Gibbs for most of the day, and had even stopped harassing McGee in the fear that Gibbs would have head slapped him with more force than was necessary. Will no current cases to occupy his mind or his time, and no new leads on the cold case, he was more than ready to call it a day and head home to work on his boat.

There was still one thing he needed to do before he left for the day. Usually he did not think too much about anything, but demanding things from the director of NCIS was a bit of a daunting task, especially when the director's mind was already made up. Still he HAD to try to change the director's mind on accepting Kate's resignation. He made his way up to the director's office and Tony and Tim both heaved sighs of relief.

Abby bounced out of the elevator just as Gibbs had shut the door to the office with a resounding thud. "What's going on, and where is Gibbs?" she asked when she came up to their desks and did not see the silver haired fox behind his desk, as he had been since the day Kate had left. "He went to see Director Morrow," Tony answered her with a look of concern on his face.

"Has he said anything yet?" Abby knew Gibbs would not mention that Kate's sudden departure was bothering him and it was not only because she was his teammate, it was because there was something more to it than he had admitted or even realised.

"Nope," Tim said as he looked up from his paperwork. Tim was the newest agent on the team, well they had been working together for almost a year now and he and Kate had grown closer in that time. He had been Kate's shoulder to cry on when she could not talk to Abby or Gibbs about something. He loved her like she was his little sister, even though he was the youngest on the team. He was there to protect her, and the fact that he did not know why she had decided to leave bothered him a bit.

Still, they had not discussed anything about Kate or even mentioned her name in the last three days. They had all decided that Kate was an off limits topic, especially in Gibbs's presence, it would only lead to him drinking more coffee and withdrawing more into himself.

A few minutes later they heard shouting coming from the top floor leading to the director's office. They did not even need to guess whose voice was the raised one and what the issue was. They all knew how unhappy Gibbs was with Morrow accepting Kate's decision without offering an explanation.

It was not even two seconds later when the door flew open with a resounding force and Gibbs stormed out, more livid than either Tony or Abby had ever seen him. He walked up to his desk, shut down his computer, picked up his jacket and stalked off to the elevator, but not before grunting a "What are you looking at?" in the two remaining agents' direction. "Nothing, Boss," McGee mumbled in fear, more to himself than Gibbs.

After the boss left, Tony had seen no reason to stay longer as there was no work to be done and followed Gibbs's footsteps toward the elevator and out of the building with Tim close behind him. Abby had retreated to her lab, where she was still running tests for the other teams who were working less complicated cases.

Gibbs reached his house in record time and was looking forward to spending the night working on his boat, hoping it would keep his mind distracted from a certain brunette agent he was trying with immense difficulty to forget. He placed his keys on the table in the hall and didn't even bother to change his clothes. He walked straight to the basement, stripped his jacket and shirt, and picked up the sander.

Two grueling hours later he was still at it and no closer to forgetting about Kate than when he had come home. As he sanded the rib of the boat, he imagined it was his hands on her body and her skin was as smooth as the wood was to his touch and her body would obligingly comply with his every whim and desire. Just the thought of having her in his basement thrilled him, and with the reaction she had when he had stepped into her personal space at her apartment, he knew she wanted the same thing… or so he hoped.

He was so lost in thought about her, he did not hear the knock on his front door, or the shout of his name down the hallway, or even the steps that followed after he failed to answer. He was therefore surprised to see his long time friend Fornell standing across the basement at the bottom of the staircase,

"How did you guys screw up now, and what is it that you want us to fix?" he half-asked, half-stated when he saw the agent from the FBI. "You're working a cold case we have ties to, Gibbs," Fornell answered. "What do you want?" Gibbs was in no mood for foreplay particularly with the FBI, with Tobias it was okay but this was not a personal favour it was work and Gibbs had no intention of just giving his findings to them.

"We're looking for a drug dealer but we can't seem to pin-point him. We got a few leads but just when we thought we got him, he disappeared, he's always one step ahead," Fornell informed Gibbs.

"What's new?" Gibbs smirked. "Look, are you in or not?" Fornell did not want to waste any more time. "Leave the file on the bench on your way out and I'll have a look at it later," Gibbs continued to sand the rib he was working on. Fornell did as he was told and exited without another word, he knew Gibbs would be calling him sooner or later… he hoped it was at a decent hour of the night.

After he was certain the FBI agent was gone, Gibbs walked over to the file and paged through it. There was more information in it than NCIS had; there were a lot more pictures as well. As he looked through them he saw that in all of them there was one common face, and he knew exactly who it was. "Guess I'm not going to spend the entire night working on my boat after all," he thought to himself, as he walked back up to his bedroom to get a change of clothes and headed back to work.

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A/N2: Thank you to my beta for her speedy work. As ususal it is much appreciated. 

ok press the little blue button on your way out and leave something for me to read.

have a great weekend.

me


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: See chapter 1

A/N: Hey guys I just want to say I'm sorry it took me this long to update KIA but I was lost for ideas. However, I found a way to connect the chapters and I hope the next one won't take me as long to update.

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Chapter 4

The sound of her ringing cellphone woke Kate up in the late afternoon. She was in no mood to see anyone let alone talk to anyone, especially if they were people she knew. She had spent the last four days holed up in her tiny apartment, choosing not to be sociable at all levels. The encounter with Gibbs had done enough to put her out of her element and out of sync. She had needed time to work out what was happening and for the first time that day, she thought about her decision. "Was it the right one?" she asked herself and still she could not find the correct answer.

The constant ringing of her phone drove her crazy and eventually she had turned off the ringer. Whoever it was that was calling her would have to come to her apartment and ask her whatever it is they wanted. She was not going to entertain anyone. However, the caller was persistent and proceeded to call her on her landline. Kate did not bother getting up from the couch and instead let them leave a message on her answering machine - there was a reason she had the damn thing after all.

"Hey Kate, it's Luke. I was wondering if you would join me for dinner tonight. I know the last two days have been hectic and I really would like to see you tonight, and it's the only night I have free for the rest of this week. So, if you don't want to go out then give me a call, otherwise I'll pick you up at seven. Okay, I gotta go. I'll see you later. Bye" and he hung up. Kate groaned as she finally stood up. She really didn't feel up to going to dinner tonight, but she decided that fresh air and different faces would do her a bit of good. She glanced at the clock on the wall and saw that she had less than two hours to get ready.

A long, warm, relaxing shower later, Kate was sitting on the corner of her bed staring into her wardrobe. She had absolutely no idea what to wear. The number of work suits outnumbered her casual ones and she was having a very difficult time choosing out an appropriate set of garments. Eventually she settled on an evening dress that was her favourite. When she wore it, it made her feel like she was queen of the world - something like Bruce Wayne and his 'Bat suit.'

So the dress was chosen and the sandals that would accompany the dress were found under her bed, all she needed now was her make-up and a hairstyle to go. Peeking at the watch on her wrist, she saw that she had an hour to go before Luke would arrive at her door. "Well at least applying a bit of lipstick and blush does not take half an hour to do," she thought to herself. Her hair was still wet and she decided for some reason that she would just leave it as it was. There was no need to style and mousse anything tonight, it was a simple dinner with Luke, and there was no reason to go overboard.

Just as she ran her fingers through her hair for the last time, she heard a knock on her door. Luke was already here, and she still had fifteen minutes left. It was very unlike him to be on time, and the word early did not feature in his vocabulary. Therefore, when she saw him standing on the other side of the door she could not help the look of surprise that was clearly marked in her eyes. "Flowers and chocolates," he said as he brought both his hands up and held them in her direction. The bouquet of flowers were huge but somewhat unattractive, and not her favourite and the chocolates were a cheap kind that you could get from anywhere, "but it was the thought that counted," she tried to convince herself.

She smiled weakly at him as she took both parcels from his hands, and placed the flowers in a vase of water and the chocolates on the kitchen counter. "Are you ready?" he asked and she nodded the affirmative as she grabbed her handbag and cellphone from the table and made her way to the door, making sure to lock it after they had exited her apartment.

"So where are we going?" she enquired as they sat in the moving car. "Adega's" he responded, hoping that she had not been there before, as he felt like he needed to make up for the last two days. The atmosphere seemed a little tense and Luke was sure there was something on her mind, but before he could ask her about it her cellphone had started to ring and she answered, "Agent Todd." Luke's grip on the steering wheel tightened a bit and Kate saw it but she really did not care.

"Hey Adam, how are you doing? You're in town for a few days that's great. Yeah we can meet up tonight. "I'm on my way to Adega's, it's a two blocks away from your hotel. Okay I'll see you in a few minutes," she ended her conversation and hung up the phone. The air seemed to tense up tenfold during the time she had answered her phone and hung up. She saw Luke's jaw clench and unclench and she knew there was something not right.

"That was Adam, he's in town for a few days and he wanted to see me so I told him to meet us at Adega's," she repeated the conversation she had with Adam to Luke. "And you couldn't let your brother wait just one more night to see you?" he asked sharply making Kate feel uncomfortable. "As far as I remember you and Adam were best friends, what's the problem now?" she was not even going to entertain the notion that her brother should wait a day longer to see her, if Luke did not like it that was his problem, he had to find a way to deal with it.

"It's just that we don't see that much of each other and I like spending time alone with you," he tried to placate her, "it's already difficult enough to find alone time with our hectic work hours," he finished. "Yeah you didn't have one spare second in your hectic schedule to come and see me. Out of a full 60 hours, you could not even take out 5 minutes just to call and ask how I was doing," she countered. "You bolted out that door so fast after having dessert and then you don't call for two and a half days, Luke. It's not that hard to make a call," she finished. The rest of the drive was completed in silence and Kate doubted her decision to go out on a date with Luke.

They had settled into their seats just as Adam and a friend walked into the restaurant, his eyes roaming the place, looking for Kate. He finally spotted her somewhere in the middle of the dining hall and he guided his friend in Kate's direction. His face contorted when he saw the person already sitting in one of the chairs, but he smiled at his little sister and pulled her into a tight embrace. "Hey, sport! How are you doing?" he asked, seeing her expression. He did not need her to answer verbally; he understood that the rest of that conversation would take place later.

"Kate, this is my partner, Alexandra," he introduced his friend to Kate "and Alex, this is my little sister Kate," he repeated the action showing his friend who his sister was. "And that's Luke," he added dully. "So you're the Kate I've been hearing so much about," Alex started. This caused Kate to turn slightly red, but not enough for them to notice, "the one and only," Adam replied. There was possessiveness in his voice and he let it show. Luke sat quietly in his corner, watching the rest of the patrons in the eating-house.

"So, Luke, what do you do?" Alex asked and Luke was brought out of his thoughts. "I have an export and import company, just started a few months ago," he informed her. "What do you import and export?" Adam asked and Kate saw the vein in Luke's neck pop. "Oh this was going to be one hectic dinner," she thought to herself. "Candy," was Luke's answer and this surprised Kate. She was sure when she had asked him a few months ago what he imported and exported he had said toys and plants and she thought it was a weird combination to go with, but if it worked for him then there was no issue. She made no mention of it now though; she stored it in her brain for future use.

The evening progressed peacefully although Kate caught the looks that were passing between the men. There was something going on that she did not know about. Adam and Luke had been best friends for years; Luke had even come to stay for the holidays when schools had closed. He and Adam were like Siamese twins. They would have given Tony and Tim a run for their money, and Kate was usually in on whatever prank they had planned. The more time Luke had spent with Adam the more time he spent with Kate and he liked it that way. There was no doubt that he had fallen for Kate back then, but Kate being Kate, did not see it and neither did she feel the same way about him. Still she had no idea what it was that drove Adam and Luke apart.

She glanced at Luke and he seemed uneasy and jittery, He kept scanning the restaurant as though he were looking for someone. "What's wrong?" she asked him softly and she simply glared at her. Okay maybe she did not know him as well as she thought she did. She was about to ask him a second question, when he stood up and excused himself from the table. Some of the tension seemed to disappear when he left and Adam finally had the freedom to ask her what she was doing with a person like Luke.

"Kate, this Luke is not the same Luke you knew five years ago, hell he's not the same guy I knew two years ago. He's changed and I'm afraid it's not for the better," he warned his sister. Kate was baffled. "What do you mean?" she asked her brother.

"He got mixed in the wrong crowd after I left to tour the world and let's just say he knows a lot more than he's letting on," Adam clarified.

"How do you know all this?" "I was his best friend, Kate, how could I not know?" and she agreed with his statement...

"So what am I dealing with?" she asked her brother but before either Alex or Adam could answer they noticed Kate had lost focus on them and her attention was more focused on the waiter making his way toward her table. He was tall; a bit built; had a crew cut hairstyle; bright green eyes and an innocent boyish looking face. He approached the table and pulled out a pad and pencil before introducing himself, "Hi, I'm Greg and I will be you waiter for tonight. Are you ready to order?"

He waited a few minutes as Kate eyed him suspiciously, and by then Luke had returned to the table. "Aah, finally we get service in this place," he said rudely and the waiter flustered immediately, turning red in the face and ears. They place their drinks order and he Greg made his way to the bar to retrieve them, as he did so Kate noticed him talking into his sleeve. She picked up on his action and looked around the restaurant.

She noticed now what she hadn't a few minutes ago, the place was filled with feds, McGee was thier waiter, and she felt apprehensive. "Oh this would definitely be an interesting evening," she thought to herself.

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So that's it for chapter 4. Not sure how long this story is going to be, fear not I do have it planned out in my head, but as I write some of it kinda has ideas of their own and result in long chapters like this.

I know this was a boring chapter but I needed a filler and this was it.

Read and review. And to all those who have alerted this story and me a review would make me happy

Thanks

hellraiser


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** see chapter 1

**A/N:** Okay so this has taken me a while to upload. Don't worry though the story is all mapped out in my head and stuff, it's just that my freaking computer crashed and so I have very little access to one. Therefore it has taken me this long to post. Not beta-ed so ALL mistakes belong to me and my crappy computer.

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Chapter V

Gibbs reached the NCIS HQ building in record time, not that he was trying to set one, but he managed the drive in half the time it took him on a regular day. He worked on the file for a good few hours before he decided that it was worth it to call the boys in and get this case solved. He knew he had told them that this was not their problem but with all this new information and the fact that he would not have been able to get the guy on his own prompted him to make the call and wake up his two subordinates.

He gave the boys the file and everything else Fornell had given him the previous night and asked the boys to check everything out, even if it seemed trivial. He did not want to let this guy go on a small error; he wanted to nail the dirtbag, since he was the one that had cost Gibbs the most important thing in his life.

When DiNozzo and McGee were done with all the paperwork and processing of all the data, they found a pattern that the dealers were following and Abby had somehow managed to crack the code that Tony was struggling with. They figured that there was going to be an exchange of the goods and McGee traced the name and address of the place where it was all going to go down.

By then it was mid afternoon and Gibbs was on his fiftieth cup of coffee. McGee swore that Gibbs's coffee intake had increased exponentially since Kate had left, but this was just the limit. He was sure that instead of blood running through his veins, Gibbs had caffeine in them and that is what was keeping him sane through all this.

Fornell arrived around two hours later, as he had promised his friend, and he sadly had brought his two bozo subordinates as well. Tony and McGee both cringed at the idea of going undercover with the two and after a heated debate with the two agents, it was settled that they would be the back up and that NCIS agents would be running the show. Well Gibbs didn't seem to have any problem with his agents' ideas as the FBI had always messed up when they thought they had the dirtbag.

It was settled; Tim and Tony got to choose a few of their colleagues to help with the investigation, as long as they were not from the same teams. The reason for this as Gibbs stipulated was so that the dealers would not know they were being watched. They drafted out a plan and set it into motion.

DiNozzo would be a waiter for the evening, thus allowing him access to all the patron of the restaurant, McGee would be one of the diners; there to enjoy an evening out with a beautiful date and Gibbs would be in the surveillance van just outside the restaurant. The FBI would also be there, hiding somewhere, just incase there was a need for backup.

By six o clock, everything was planned and ready to be executed. Tony had protested about his stint as a waiter, but Gibbs had not budged from his decision. He knew that with Tony's attention span with women there was a slight possibility that there would be a mishap, and Gibbs wanted perfection. Tony was stuck with being a damn waiter for the evening. Abby and Ducky were to wait at HQ in case there was anything the team outside needed.

"Okay guys we have a long night ahead of us, I think we should brace ourselves for it," Fornell said as everyone began filing out of the interrogation room they were holed up in.

"We meet at seven sharp, don't be late," Gibbs growled as he grabbed his jacket and headed home once again to shower and get ready for the long night, as his friend had so kindly put it.

As ordered, everyone had showed up at the designated place at seven o clock. The feds were bitching amongst themselves about not being let in on the undercover op and Tony was still trying to wheedle his way out of being a waiter. Ten minutes later everything was in place and Gibbs was about to set the plan into action when McGee's sudden nervousness and stuttering brought a halt to Gibbs's actions.

Oh, this definitely needed a change in the plan. There was no way Gibbs was going to be on the outside anymore, not when the subject of his bedeviling, tormenting, titillating dreams was entering the damn restaurant.

Tony was going to get his wish, he was not going to be a waiter for the evening, instead he was going to be sitting outside in the van, while McGee played the role of the waiter and Gibbs was going to be the diner with the exceptionally beautiful date. Neither Tony nor Tim wanted to argue with the silver haired man on the sudden change of plan.

They knew that where Kate was involved, there was nothing like second best, Gibbs was the best and he knew he had to the one closest to her if anything had to go wrong.

With the change in plan for Tony and McGee came the change in plan for Fornell as well. The FBI was going to be actively involved after all. Gibbs ordered Tobias to call one of his dates or someone to show up as his date so that when Gibbs walked in it wouldn't be so awkward. Gibbs had already called in a favour from a friend and she was happily on her way to come to his assistance.

Fornell and his 'date' were already seated when Gibbs walked into the restaurant, his date's arm looped through his and smiling widely as he whispered something in her ear. She was as Tony had put it, damn sexy. She was tall; almost the same height as Gibbs, well built and she had a poise of complete calm. Her flaming long red hair had been pulled up into a loose bun, with tendrils hanging out the back. Her fiery blue eyes were burning with passion and excitement and Gibbs knew he was heading for disaster the minute he walked past Kate's table, with his 'date' still firmly attached to him.

Well it was not like he did this intentionally; it was Kate who had forced him into this position, even if she was unaware of it.

* * *

So this was another really boring chapter I know but I had to put it in for the story to fit nicely.

To my beta sorry for not sending this to you, but as I said earlier I don't really have too much time or access to a working computer so I posted without sending it to you first.

Anyway hope you guys enjoyed it.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: See chapter 1

A/N: I know this has taken me a really long time to upload, but it's just that I resigned from work but my muse decided to stay behind, and threfore had a really difficult time doing this chapter. Hopefully it will return soon.

Not beta'd so all mistakes still belong to me and the crappy computer I own.

* * *

Knight In Armour VI

Gibbs led his date to the table his friend Fornell and FBI agent and his not as attractive as Gibbs's companion were currently occupying. The atmosphere seemed to change the second Gibbs entered the joint and Kate knew she was going to have one hell of a hard time trying to forget about him after tonight. As if leaving the best job she was not enough, she now had to get the picture of him with his attractive and no doubt very intelligent redheaded friend out of her mind.

Her attention on the conversation she was having, with Adam and his partner Alex, was dwindling with every second it Gibbs took to reach the table his friends were sitting at. She could not help the admiring glance that escaped her eyes as Gibbs's gaze locked onto hers. He certainly was distinguished and dashing, and Kate noticed, so was his date.

Kate had managed to get a good look at her, when Gibbs passed Kate's table as he walked over to his own. Kate noted, she was not the redhead who occasionally dropped off or picked up Gibbs from work. No this woman was in a different class altogether. Where the other woman seemed dull and not really suited to go out with a man like Gibbs, the redhead who accompanied her boss today looked like she and Gibbs were the perfect match.

Gibbs nodded his head slightly as he passed Kate, acknowledging her fleeting glance as a greeting, but made no other conscious effort to show he knew her at all. This is what she wanted in the first place and he was going to give her exactly what she wanted. As much as he knew it was going to hurt him, he decided to keep her happy, and if that meant not being near her, talking to her or having any kind of contact with her, then he was ready to forgo everything for her happiness.

Most of the evening progressed well enough and without any incidents, and Gibbs and his 'team' were ready to order dessert when it was announced, since it was a Friday evening the band would play one last song before the DJ took over the music playlist and the place would be turned into a club.

Kate used this as an opportunity to excuse herself from the table and made her way in the direction of the exit to the dining area. She needed to clear her head if was going to survive the rest of the evening. She wondered if Gibbs had deliberately chose the table right in her line of vision, allowing her an unobstructed view of himself and that damn redhead. The hot ball of jealousy making its way to her gut was not a good thing but she just could not help the way she felt.

The cool breeze on her face helped for all of two seconds, before she closed her eyes in an attempt to clear her brain of the visuals of her boss and his intimate conversation he was having with his dinner date, despite the fact that it looked like he was actually interested in what his FBI friend was saying. She did not have a long time to dwell on it though, as Alex had excused herself from the table as well, leaving the two boys to sort out their issues and she could ask Kate what was bothering her for the entire evening.

Alex saw the wistful expression on the brunette's face and before she could think twice, the question was tumbling out of her mouth.

"Is there something you need to talk about Kate?"

Kate spun around with surprise, not aware the blonde woman had followed her outside the restaurant. For a special agent, her skills were seriously starting to ebb away. Well it was either that or she was hugely distracted by the thoughts she was having of one specific silver haired special agent taking 'that' attractive redhead home with him.

"No, I just needed a bit of fresh air," she replied as her gaze came to a rest on a spot just behind Alex's shoulder.

Just as before, she was presented with an unimpeded view of her boss, who was now standing, and offering his hand to his female companion, for the last dance of the evening. Her eyes trailed down his body, exploring and admiring whatever she could, through his jacket and shirt.

The white undershirt peeked out from under the crisp deep blue shirt. His hair was slightly brushed back, and slightly unruly. The frown lines he usually had at work, when he was deep in thought had all disappeared, and his smile turned into a full-blown laugh when Kate saw his date whisper something into his ear.

Kate then turned her gaze to the redhead, who had actually had the privileged of going out on a date with Jethro Gibbs. She was no doubt a stunner, and if Tony had been in here, he surely would have been drooling over her. Well he would have only got a chance to do so if she was not Gibbs's date.

The black dress she wore fit her perfectly, hugging her in all the right places. Two extremely thin straps on each shoulder held up the knee length black dress. The neckline was dangerously low, even by Kate's standards "okay the green sweater was an exception," she thought to herself, but it was still a lot more visible skin than Kate would have liked. The three-inch black stilettos accentuated her well-built calves, causing Kate to utter more profanities in one minute than she had in an entire year.

She tore her eyes away from the redhead and once again turned to admire her boss. This time she was shocked to find his intense blue eyes trained on her. The look took the breath out of her lungs and she felt like she had been winded. It didn't last long though as the redhead placed her hand in Gibbs's and he broke the eye contact with Kate and led his partner to the dance floor.

Alex followed Kate's line of vision and she was surprised when she saw Kate was looking at an older man. He was dancing intimately with his partner and Alex wondered why this seemed to trouble Kate as much as it was. He was definitely attractive though. She supposed there was something about him she could like. She knew, however, not to pester Kate about it, she would talk when she was ready. She saw the same trait in Kate as she had seen in Adam when she first met him.

A few minutes later the waiter who had introduced himself as Greg arrived to give Kate a huge Styrofoam cup filled with hot coffee.

"This one's on the house," he said as handed her the drink and winked at her before heading back inside the restaurant.

Kate could not help but smile at the small gesture McGee had made to make her feel comfortable this evening, and she was eternally grateful for it. She slowly brought the cup to her lips as she sipped a bit of the warm liquid, relishing the feeling it left as it raced down her throat. It was strong and slightly bitter, but he had added milk and sweetener, and immediately Kate knew it was not on the house but who it had come from.

She looked up quickly, attracting Alex's attention as she did so and both women saw the slight nod and the hint of a smile that made an appearance on the silver haired man's face.

There was more going on than met the eye, and Alex was not sure if it was wise for Kate to get involved in all if it.

* * *

There you go for chapter 6. There will I think be two more chapters depending on my muse, and trust me things will get better.

Happy easter everyone. Hope you all have a splendid day.

To alix, I don't believe anyone should be allowed to work on a public holiday and therefore did not send this to you and I still dont have enough time or access to a working compouter so... Forgive me??

HR


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** See chapter 1

**A/N:** This is the pen-ultimate chapter of this story. I am not entirely happy with the way it turned out, but it seemed to fit in somehow. Thanks to my beta for her speedy job on this... Hopefully it was worth the wait for you people.

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Chapter 7

The music started slowly, alerting the patrons of the restaurant that this was indeed the last song the live band was going to play for this evening

The music started slowly, alerting the patrons of the restaurant that this was indeed the last song the live band was going to play for this evening. There were a few couples already waltzing on the dance floor and Alex thought they somehow looked out of place, as the dance did not move with the rhythm of the music. Nevertheless, both women stood frozen in their places, with their eyes roaming the expanse of the dance floor.

Kate took a sip of the hot, strong beverage, and enjoyed bitter taste it left in her mouth, as it raced down her throat and warmed her body in the now slightly chilled air of the outdoors. She glanced up again at the dance floor, and at once, her gaze came to a rest on the silver haired man who had been invading her dreams for months now.

She watched him as he effortlessly lead his 'date' along the dance floor, twirling her out and spinning her back into him arms, after which he whispered something in her ear, which made her blue eyes sparkle and her lips turn into a full mouthed, genuine smile. A sharp pain made its presence known in Kate's chest, but there was nothing she could do to make it disappear.

Kate looked down into her coffee cup again, and her grip on the cup tightened substantially, but she was careful not to let any of the steaming, bitter, brown liquid spill out of it and onto her clothes. She clenched her jaw as another response, but she was not even aware of it.

"Kate,"

"Kate!" Alex said a bit louder the second time, as she brought Kate out of her thoughts. Kate turned to look at the blonde woman standing beside her, a look of slight confusion gracing her features.

"We should get back inside, I'm sure Adam is wondering what's going on with us, and who knows what's going on with him and Luke. They didn't look like they were on the friendliest terms earlier," she continued when Kate did not say anything.

Kate nodded and followed Alex back inside the restaurant, but did not make her way back to the table. Instead, she made her way toward the bar, where McGee was currently standing, alert, and ready for any sort of trouble. She concentrated on focusing her gaze on McGee and walking toward the barstools and not on the man she wanted so badly to be with, but could not because of her stupid decision.

She willed herself to look ahead, and focused her thoughts on Luke, the man she chose to spend the rest of her life with. It was not a promising picture and she hated herself, for making that irrational decision, for her stupidity, for her inability to tell her boss the truth about how she felt about him, but she hated his 'Romance between agents' rule the most. She absolutely loathed it, and as much as she tried to make herself loathe him, she found she could not bring herself to do so.

She took up a seat on the empty barstool, with Alex following her lead and occupying the one on Kate's right side.

"Could I please have a Johnnie Walker blue label, double, on the rocks?" Kate ordered her drink and waited as McGee took Alex's order as well. She didn't think Alex was a drinker, but then again, neither was she. She saw the concerned look on McGee's face, but shook her head slightly indicating she did not want to discuss anything.

She took a napkin from the napkin holder and started playing with it. She tried with immense difficulty not to let any of her emotions show on her face, where Alex or anyone else could see it, and then ask her questions about it. She was not ready to answer to anyone right now, or ever for that matter, on this subject. The now empty styrofoam cup sat on the counter not forgotten but untouched all the same. Lost in her thoughts again, Kate did not notice the boys join her and Alex at the bar, where they in turn took up the unoccupied stools on Alex's right.

A few minutes later, the McGee arrived with Kate and Alex's drinks and placed them in front of them, returning the smile Kate had given him earlier. She picked up the tumbler slowly, as though contemplating whether to actually drink the amber coloured liquid inside it or not. She nursed her drink for a few seconds longer, before taking a sip of the liquid. It was smooth and cool and slightly sweet, an immense contrast to the coffee she had been drinking earlier.

She was about to take her second sip, when she felt someone brush up behind her. She resisted the urge to turn around and see who it was that had invaded her personal space so unwantedly. Before she could say anything as well, a long, slim hand made its way to the bar counter, reaching for the wad of serviettes that were placed an arm's length away from where Kate's tumbler was resting on the counter top.

She didn't need to think twice, or even look around to see who the arm belonged to. She closed her eyes and prayed he would go away, without intentionally or unintentionally torturing her any more than he already did that evening. She was done, she had made her decision, and she didn't need him rubbing it in her face. She had chosen to let go of the best thing that had ever happened to her.

His other hand had come to a rest on the other side of her, fencing her in between the bar counter and himself. He reached for a serviette and she could smell the sawdust and coffee on him. She also detected a faint smell of alcohol, which she assumed was most probably bourbon.

"It's a bit early to be drinking, don't you think, Kate?" he asked so softly, not even Alex who was seated beside them heard him.

Kate had never heard him sound so utterly and sinfully tempting, and the rumble of his chest when he spoke sent shivers down her spine. She once again cursed herself for making that rash and impromptu decision. Gibbs was so close to her, she was sure he could have felt her heart thumping through her back. His face was inches away from hers, and she had to put all the effort into looking straight ahead and not on turning her face just slightly so that her lips would have met his in what she knew would have been a soul-searing kiss for both of them.

He moved in closer toward her and she leaned back a little, each of them hoping to feel the distances between their bodies diminish. It was somehow an impossible task to do, as they both knew they had about five pairs of eyes ob them. Gibbs moved his right hand, complete with serviette in it, from the bar counter and settled iton Kate's waist. Thankfully, Fornell, had come to the bar hoping to find out the newest set of instructions the team leader had come up with, since he assumed Gibbs was here talking to McGee, and he had stood directly behind the silver haired man and his young subordinate.

Kate was rotating the tumbler on the countertop, unable to breathe properly, with the close contact her ex-boss was keeping. She was sure his sole purpose was to drive her insane in the most torturous, sadistic way known to him. He placed his other hand on hers, which was still holding the tumbler with the amber coloured liquid in it, and brought the tumbler up to his lips and took a sip from it, before letting her hand go and allowing her to place the tumbler back onto the counter.

Kate was about to answer the 'silver fox's' question when someone else beat her to it.

"Jethro!" Kate heard her before she saw her and she winced slightly. She hoped her boss would not have noticed it, but with his hand still firmly attached to her waist, she knew he knew what her reaction had been when she heard the redhead call him so casually by his first name.

"Oh this can only lead to nothing good," Kate mused to herself.

"Lilly," he responded with less enthusiasm than she had used when she called him.

"I thought we were going to dance this last dance together," she said

"Kate, are you okay?" Kate heard the question being directed at her and she looked up for the first time in ten minutes to see who was talking to her.

Adam had come to stand next to Alex and Kate but had not gotten to close to Kate as Fornell stood his ground and therefore shielded Adam's view of Gibbs's hand still planted on Kate's waist. She saw the concerned looks on both Alex and Adam's faces and she could not bring herself to tell them anything. This was not the place and definitely not the time.

"You can dance with Tobias," Gibbs said playfully to Lilly, and at least now, Kate a decent name to call the woman she was so jealous of at the moment.

"I'd much rather dance with the young stud standing beside him," Lilly informed both Gibbs and Fornell, and smiled widely at Adam.

"And you, Jethro, can dance with the young woman in front of you. They are from the same group," she continued

Lilly offered her hand to Adam and only after getting Alex and Kate's nod of approval did he take Lilly's hand and lead her to the dance floor.

"Well, I guess that leaves you to dance with Kate," Alex reminded Gibbs and Kate saw a risqué smile on her face.

Kate looked to the right, hoping for some ungodly reason Luke was actually paying attention to her and he would not let Gibbs dance with her, but he was too caught up in talking to someone, she had never seen before.

"Well, one dance couldn't hurt anyone," she thought to herself, and waited for Gibbs's invitation to dance with him.

After some thoughtful deliberating, Gibbs removed his hand from the countertop, and offered it to her palm facing upward, but left the other hand attached to Kate's waist. It took Kate all but three seconds to accept the invitation as she slipped off the barstool, placed her hand in his outstretched one and let him lead her to the dance floor.

When they finally reached the designated spot, Gibbs turned Kate around so she was facing him, and placed one hand on her hip and the other in her outstretched one and laced their fingers together. He waited for the right moment before he started dancing and led her into the crowd of already dancing couples.

* * *

That's it for chapter 7. The last chapter is already mapped out in my head, I'm just deciding on an ending. Hopefully it won't be too long before it's posted.

Any feedback is welcome

HR


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** See chapter 1 as usual

**A/N:** Sorry for the long delay. This chapter took a really long time to write even though its so short. It's just that I hadn't intended for this story to take the route that it did. When I started it, I had an entirely different plot to it... but as I soon found out, it started breathing a life of it's own. Okay this is the final chapter but it has been spilt into two parts because fitting it in one chapter was just too long. I hope you guys enjoy reading it.

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Chapter 8

The annoying sound of her vibrating cellphone on the pedestal, next to her bed, roused her from her sleep.

"Four missed calls," she read to herself, as the screen blinked brightly at her. Apparently, she had slept through all four of those calls, and now the shrill ringing disturbed the dead quiet apartment. Groggily, she stretched her hand to the pedestal where the offending piece of equipment rested, in an attempt to shut it up, and stop the irritating sound the vibrating mechanism was making.

However, all she managed to do was whack the glass of water from the nightstand onto the cold tiled floors, with a crash, and the sound of shattering glass filled the apartment. This resulted in more noise than she could handle at this point, and her increasingly bothersome phone was still ringing. Maybe if she did not answer, the caller would get the idea and stop bothering her, but, unfortunately for her, they did not get the message, or they did not want to.

"Hello," she finally answered the offending phone, hoping that the person on the other end would not, or better yet, could not hear her cursing into the receiver.

Her answer was met with silence and she was about to hang up… when she heard the sound. There was no mistaking it for anything in the world. There was just no way you could not make out the sound of sandpaper scraping across wood, and she knew immediately who was on the other side of the line. She waited for a few minutes longer, waited for him to say something… anything… before she once again took the initiative.

"Are you okay?" she asked tentatively, not quite sure if he was actually going to grace her with an answer or not. Once again, she was met with a resounding silence. This was clearly not a good sign at all. Three minutes passed before she heard his voice.

"I could use some company," he suggested softly. His voice was unnaturally quiet, soft, gentle… almost pleading and a thing she had never heard before, his voice sounded strangled. The desperation she heard in his voice made the decision for her, and she was out of bed and getting ready before her mind could even think of responding.

"I'll be over in a few minutes."

She knew his front door was unlocked. He had mentioned it many times, indicating that whenever she needed help or just someone to talk to she was welcome in his house. As she turned the handle, she once again debated with herself whether this was a good idea or not.

"Well, I drove halfway across town to get here, so I might as well go in," she thought to herself and the decision was made, there was no turning back from here. She stepped carefully down the stairs, leading to the basement, each step calm and measured. She knew he was waiting for her, but she did not want to invade his private space or startle him in any way. He came into her view as she descended the last three steps of the staircase, and she knew from his sagging shoulders and the tired way his hands gripped the sander that this evening had drained him more than he thought or anticipated it would.

He had shed his formal attire in favour of a pair of light gray cargo pants and a white long sleeved vest. A tool belt hung low on his waist, and guessing from the way the fabric clung to his body, he had been down here for a very long time. She wanted to reach out and touch him, give him some kind of reassurance that all was not lost, they had got the bad guys, but decided against it at the last minute. He had called her, and so she made the decision to let him talk or act first.

He turned to look at her, grunting a 'hey' to acknowledge her presence. She smiled slightly, the light from the lamp above the rib he was working on casting a warm glow on her. His eyes were dull and lifeless, and it crushed her to see the condition he was in. She wanted to turn back the clock, take back the last few hours and change whatever it was that happened that made him look the way he did at the present moment. She wanted to see the spring in his step, and the passionate fire in his eyes, as she had seen it earlier that evening.

Gibbs continued sanding for a few minutes longer, before he turned to her, stretching out his hand and invited her to join in at the boat. She accepted the invite willingly, praying that whatever it was that was bothering him so much, he would share it with her. She was not quite sure if she could deal with this silent Gibbs any longer. She was used to the marine in charge, the man who gave orders and defied the rules, the man who never showed defeat, or accepted it for that matter.

Gibbs noticed that she had changed her clothes as well. A pair of black pants and a black pullover had replaced the dress she looked so appealing in. She seemed more relaxed than he was, and more comfortable, even though it was the first time she'd actually been in his in house let alone in his personal sanctuary. She walked up to where he stood and stopped when she was an arm's length away from him. She accepted his outstretched hand, and she slowly inched her way to the rib he was sanding and faced the boat.

She placed her hand under his, which was still gripping the sander tightly, and waited for his prompt for her to start sanding with him. She felt him come closer to her and he covered her other hand with his on the sander, his raised arms lightly fencing her in, as his chest came into contact with her back.

She felt his uneven breathing, and the force he used to sand the wood to a smooth finish, and she knew he was recalling what had happened earlier that evening, in his mind.

It had been an eventful one…

* * *

As I mentioned earlier this is the final chapter but it was just too long… So I've broken it into two parts.

It somehow just fit better that way. I'm not entirely thrilled with it, but here it is anyway…

Feedback is welcome and appreciated.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** See chapter 1

**A/N:** Okay so I mentioned that this was supposed to be the last chapter, but I found that the more I tried to end it, the longer it got and I just couldn't cut out anything because then it would confusing… So maybe two more chapters…

* * *

Chapter 9

Earlier that evening:

The music played on and Gibbs and Kate danced to the slow rhythm that flowed stage to the left of them. This was the dumbest mistake Gibbs had made in his life. Okay well he didn't consider marrying his now ex-wives as mistakes. Still, this was a colossally idiotic thing to do. Apart from not fighting hard enough to over turn Director Morrow's decision on Kate's resignation, Gibbs had now engaged her to dance with him, and he knew he would pay the price for it later… as he did with everything else.

He was supposed to be here, working a case. He was supposed to be undercover, and keeping an eye on their suspects, but his gaze was trained on the beautiful woman in his embrace. This was all wrong, he was supposed to let her go, she had made the decision for both of them, and yet he could not, for the life of him, imagine his life without seeing her every day. It was as though he was a junkie, and she was his fix. The plan he, DiNozzo, McGee and Fornell had come up with was all going down the drain, he knew it, and it was all because he could not keep away from one former Special Agent Caitlin Todd.

The beat slowed down, and the music softened a little, and he was about to let go of her, when another tune filled the air. This one was much slower and more sensual than the previous one, and Kate was unsure about what the next step was. She looked up at the silver haired man, her eyes questioning him silently. Just how far was he willing to with this dance? Was he going to let her leave unscathed, or was she going to break down all the barriers she had erected and find his way in? Either way, she figured, it would not bode well for her.

He stopped dancing, and for a second Kate thought she would actually escape unharmed, but with Gibbs, she should have known better.

"Expect the unexpected," she thought to herself.

He untangled his hand from hers, although he left the hand resting on her hip, firmly placed there. She was about to take a step away from him, when his now free hand placed itself on her other hip, and he pulled her in closer to him, eliminating the distance that separated them. If they were going to dance to this last song together, it was going to be all or nothing, and in this case, all was definitely better than nothing, even if it would come with a lot of repercussions.

"Go big or go home, that's what DiNozzo always maintained," Gibbs, thought to himself.

A good five minutes passed, as thy swayed to the music, in each other's arms, neither of them wanting to let go of the other. Kate had by now re-adjusted her hands, with one resting on his bicep and the other firmly pressed against his chest. Her head was resting on his chest as well, her ear over his heart, listening to every beat it made. She did not want to music to stop playing… ever, but she knew it was inevitable.

They were so caught up in their dance, that neither Gibbs nor Kate saw the slight disturbance near the entrance of the restaurant. It took a few minutes before they finally realized what was going on and two shots rang out before Gibbs automatically went back into 'Special Agent' mode. His first mission was to keep the civilians safe – and he was going to do exactly that.

There was a frantic rush of people running toward the doors of the eating hall and Gibbs noticed that, for once, the FBI agents were on schedule and doing what they had been taught to do. He looked around the restaurant and noted that Luke was still talking to two scary looking men. The two men he recognized from the video surveillance tapes he and the team had been watching for hours on end. Another shot rang out, and Gibbs pressed larger body firmly against Kate's petite one, who was still grasped securely in his embrace, in an attempt to keep her out of the firing line and any other danger.

He needed to get to the two men talking to Luke, but he first needed to get Kate safely out of the restaurant, and out of harms way. Keeping her protectively tucked in his arms, he guided her to the nearest wall and positioned himself to fully block out anyone's view of her, behind him.

"Oh this was so not going according to the plan," he thought to himself, as he stood, guarding Kate protectively, his heart racing with adrenaline… or was it anticipation?

Kate was the first to hear DiNozzo's voice over the noise in the restaurant. People were still scurrying around, looking for safety and unfortunately, for them the FBI had securely shut the doors so that none of the suspects could leave. She looked around for the senior special agent, but she did not see him anywhere.

"Gibbs must have left him outside in the van," she smiled to herself.

"Boss, please tell me you still have your Kevlar on," Tony asked his boss. Kate knew by the concern in Tony's voice, he was worried about the silver haired man. Well he had a reason to be worried – Gibbs was known to walk into situations like this without any bodily protection. Kate had witnessed it earlier in her career at NCIS, when they worked on a case that involved a sniper killing marines. Luckily, for them, the window was bulletproof, but it still scared the hell out of them.

The sudden movement behind Gibbs caught Kate's attention, and she focused her gaze on the man walking in their direction. She squeezed her hands, which were still splayed on her ex-boss's chest, causing his shirt to rumple in her clenched fists. Damn, she didn't feel the Kevlar under his shirt, only the hardness of his well formed pectoral muscles. She looked at Gibbs, her eyes questioning him, and a few minutes later her voice filled the air between them.

"Where's your vest, Gibbs?" she asked, and she heard Tony mumble "SHIT and then something inaudible through Gibbs's ear piece. It was quickly followed by the sound of clattering equipment and then static for a few seconds.

"It made me look bulky," Gibbs replied, not taking his eyes off her.

Kate's attention was once again drawn to the man behind them. He was now about 15 feet away, from them and Kate could see a weapon, he probably wanted to keep concealed under his jacket. Gibbs felt her stiffen and immediately he knew something was amiss.

"Kate," he called her, trying to get a attention back on him.

"Kate, look at me," he said more sternly, when the first attempt failed.

He shifted his body, trying to stop her from further looking at the man, but all it did was serve to put him in a more compromising position with her, than he intended it to.

"Male, 5 foot 6, 160 pounds, weapon concealed under his jacket," Gibbs heard Kate's description, and he hoped like hell, DiNozzo was listening as well. His mic was after all concealed just under his dress shirt, attached to his undershirt.

He was relieved when he heard the Italian say "on it boss,"

"He's still approaching us," Kate informed Gibbs.

"Kate, stop looking at him," Gibbs instructed her, but clearly he was just not getting through to her, He needed to divert her attention, if he wanted to escape unharmed.

"Evasive action," or that's what he called it. It always worked in situations like this, in the past, and now was no different. He needed a plan to get her attention away from the man behind them and solely on the silver haired man himself.

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As usual feedback will be nice,

Thanks


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** See chapter 1

**A/N:** Wow, we have come to the end of this story. I know the chapter is longer than the others but I just didn't have a patience or the heart to do another chapter. I do admit that while I immensley enjoyed writing this fic, I am now ready to let it go and start on something else. Also I have to warn you guys that writing the romatic/kissing scenes proved to be more than a challenge for me this time round, so if it seems wrong or unfulfilling I apologize profulsely. This has not been betaed but it has been spellchecked so all mistakes belong to me. Thank you to everyone who reads.

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Chapter X

"How did I manage to get so distracted?" he thought darkly. He certainly did not have his eye on the ball tonight, although that was not at the top of his problem list at the current moment.

"Close your eyes," he whispered to the woman in his arms, and despite her decision not to obey him, Kate couldn't help it as her eyes closed involuntarily. She realized as she did so, all her other senses heightened and she was still well aware of her surroundings and of the man keeping her protected as best as he could.

She felt his hands grip her hips lightly, pulling her closer into him, and her breathing became shallow as a result of his actions. Clearly he was better at 'evasive action' than she gave him credit for. She felt his fingers graze the back of her hand, making its way up her forearm and coming to a rest at her elbow. He squeezed gently and continued with his exploration of her arm, shoulder and clavicle.

Her body tingled with exhilaration, at his touch and she could only imagine what it would feel like if he were to kiss her. He was surprised at the restraint she showed at his actions, and this egged him on more. He needed to see just what it was that made Caitlin Todd weak in the knees and her heart race faster than normal.

His mouth settled in the crook of her neck and she gripped his shirt tighter pulling his chest firmly up against hers. Slowly, he started placing kisses along her neck, clavicle and shoulder and did the same on the opposite side. He had never tasted anything more pure in his life and he was loath to let her go. He continued kissing her until he was sure there was no place on her neck, clavicle or shoulder he had not claimed as his, and then brought his mouth up to hers.

He could feel her breath on his lips and his heart jumped into overdrive. He palms her cheeks in both his hands and lifts her head to face his, aware that her eyes are still tightly shut. She feels his lips settle on the side of her mouth and she tried with immense difficulty not to simply turn her face and claim his lips with hers.

"Gibbs," she whispered, but was stopped when he placed his finger over her lips, effectively ending her train of thought, and whatever was about to tumble out of her mouth. And that's where he kept her, suspended, unsure if he was actually going to follow through with this seduction game he started, or if he was going to let it end as every other encounter did, him encouraging her and then simply leaving her devastatingly unsatisfied.

As he contemplated his next move and moved his mouth closer to hers, he was shoved forward by a suspect who was trying to get away. DiNozzo was not far behind and in a matter of minutes he had the suspect in handcuffs and was handing him over to the FBI agents at the doors. McGee and Fornell had managed to get a hold of the two men who were talking to Luke earlier that evening and were escorting them out of the building.

"I think we got all of them Jethro," came Fornell's voice and Gibbs groaned at the sudden interruption. Reluctantly, he let go of Kate, peeled himself off her, and led her toward the exit of the eating house, where the team were anxiously awaiting the arrival of their boss.

As they filed out of the restaurant, Gibbs had his one arm slung over Kate's shoulder protectively and the other warding off anyone who tried to come near her. Luke reached them five minutes later, and he was not pleased to see Kate in her boss's possessive grasp, in fact he looked livid at the sight but he kept his cool. He knew there was no point in arousing suspicion now, he was almost home free.

"If you guys are done, I'd like to take my girlfriend home," he announced loudly to the group and despite Gibbs's reluctance of letting her go, he knew they had nothing solid on Luke to arrest him as they stood facing each other. Kate gave Gibbs a warm smile and continued off with Luke, away from the people she trusted the most in her life and the one man she loved more than she thought was possible.

McGee and DiNozzo had in the meanwhile captured three of the drug smugglers and Gibbs was not surprised to see that they were the three the team had seen on the video surveillance tapes all week long.

"Well the case is over and the interrogation won't take that long," Tony said as he made his way back to where Gibbs and the rest of the team were assembled. He could not have imagined how wrong he was.

An hour of interrogating later, Gibbs was not satisfied. The three men they had arrested at the restaurant had been well paid to keep their mouths shut, and even with the threat of never leaving Leavenworth prison until they were one hundred years old, 'Moe Larry and Curly' as Tony and McGee had referred to them were not willing to rat their boss out.

"Clearly we're missing something," Tony mused as he McGee, Fornell and Fornell's two agents sat in the bullpen.

Gibbs had gone out ten minutes earlier for a coffee run, and as usual neither DiNozzo nor McGee had tried to stop him. He needed time to think things through, as not everything had gone according to plan and while Gibbs was used to improvising, he was not used to putting his team members in danger. He needed a cooling off period; they hoped this coffee break would do the trick.

However, when Gibbs returned from his coffee run, he was more agitated than before, and Tony could see the cogs in his boss's brain turning at the speed of sound.

"Grab your gear," he yelled and Tony and McGee didn't have to be told twice as Fornell's agents did.

Thankfully McGee was kind enough to explain to them not to question Gibbs when he was in his element or just moody as he was now. His gut was telling him something and as Abby said a million times, never question Gibbs's gut. They followed the NCIS agents' lead until they came to a stop in the parking lot.

"McGee, the quickest route to this address," Gibbs barked at McGee as he handed him a small piece of paper.

The junior agent punched in some numbers into his palm pilot and within a few minutes it spat out the destination and quickest route time.

"Try and keep up," Tony grinned to the FBI agents, knowing how the boss was going to drive, though he casually forgot to mention to them to wear their seatbelts.

Twenty minutes later they pulled up outside a vintage looking building, and Tony wondered what had gotten into his boss, to bring them to such a place. Gibbs, however, gave no explanation, and merely ran up to the entrance of the building and up to the second floor. The others followed not far behind, with their weapons drawn, and waiting for their leader to give out any instructions.

The door to the apartment he was looking for was slightly ajar and he peeked in to see if it was clear. When he saw it was, he drew his gun and signalled to his agents that he was going in, and as usual they were there to cover him. He made his way to the bedroom first as McGee and Tony checked the bathroom, kitchen and spare bedroom respectively. The other rooms were clear, and his heart was thumping in his chest. Did he really want to see what was going on in here?

He heard the sharp sound of hand meeting cheek and before he could contain himself kicked the door in, stunning the two occupants in it, and aimed his gun at the man standing at the foot of the bed. Luke's hand was raised; ready to strike Kate for the second or third time, Gibbs was not even sure but his rage intensified ten times more than DiNozzo had ever seen it. He guessed Kate's bleeding split lip and the five angry red welts on her cheek had more than contributed to the silver haired man's fury.

"Touch a hair on her head and I will kill you," Gibbs's voice was soft yet resolute. He was not threatening the younger man; he was promising him death if he laid another finger on Kate.

Luke decided to test just how far Gibbs was willing to go to save Kate. He had seen the way Kate had looked at Gibbs earlier that evening as they danced together, and as Gibbs had pinned her to the wall, in order to keep her safe. He suspected there was more to their boss subordinate relationship than met the eye, and yet neither Kate nor Gibbs had ever mentioned anything.

DiNozzo and McGee finally reached the doorway leading into Kate's bedroom and came to an abrupt stop, staring at the scene in front of them. Just as Gibbs did when he entered the room, they both trained their guns on Luke, revolted at what he had done to Kate.

"Let's see if your knight in shining armour will be able to save you now!" Luke sneered and lowered his hand, in an attempt to strike Kate again, but Gibbs was faster and before Luke's had made contact with Kate's face, he felt a searing pain in his left knee. He buckled in agony, and grabbed his knee to ease the blood from leaking out of the small round hole.

McGee was on the phone calling the paramedics, alerting them about a gun-shot criminal even before Gibbs could give him the order. DiNozzo was bent over Luke, smirking, and reading him his Miranda Rights, and trying with immense difficulty not to tell Luke he should not have messed with Kate in the first place.

Gibbs walked over to where Kate was standing, against the wall, her hair dishevelled and her face pale, making the red welts show more than he would have liked. Placing his hand on her cheek, he grazed his thumb over the angry weals and grimaced as she tensed at his touch. He knew she trusted him, but he could not help the feeling of absolute disappointment in himself for not saving her sooner than he did. At least then Luke would not have got a chance to lay his filthy hands on her. On her part Kate didn't know if she should have been embarrassed to be seen in this state by her boss, or if she should have been angry at herself for believing Luke was actually interested in her.

I'm sorry Kate," were the only words he could form, even though he knew it was not enough.

There were never enough words to say in situations like these. He took off his coat and slipped it over her arms, covering the ripped material of her dress before anyone else saw her. He knew she would not appreciate it. He placed his forehead on hers; his breathing deepening with every Kate scented breath he took. It was a reminder of the situation they were in hours earlier, her pinned between the wall and his magnificent body and the heated air between them.

He lowered his head and brushed his lips with hers, careful of her split lip, but pulled away before she could respond. He felt the rush of air next to him and Kate was pulled away from him in a matter of seconds. Their moment was over; she saw it in his eyes.

"Hey Katie! Are you okay? Gibbs asked the man ask Kate and he recognized him from the restaurant earlier.

"Yeah Adam, I'm fine; it's just a little bruising. I'll live," she offered him a half smile but focused her gaze on her former boss. His eyes were unreadable and his face expressionless. Kate knew he was distancing himself and she saw the change in him from caring friend back into Special Agent mode.

Without waiting for an explanation about who the newcomer was, Gibbs ordered McGee to take care of Kate, and she heard the last of his sentence.

"See to it that Miss Todd gets the medical attention she needs," and he stormed out of the apartment and into the darkness of the night.

Luke was going to need surgery due to Gibbs shooting his kneecap and shattering it in the process as well as causing damage to his ligaments, thus making sure that Luke would need a walking stick to help him move around. Tony would be able to get a confession from him as soon as he was out of surgery, and he would be able to get 'Mo Larry and Curly" to confess as well, after he had informed them about their boss's condition.

Kate stood at the doorway to her apartment, and silently watched Gibbs's walking away. She wanted to stop him, the words formed in her brain but they just wouldn't come out of her mouth. She felt the cold air creeping through her clothes and she pulled the coat tighter around her body. She placed her hands in the pockets, and that was when she felt the smooth piece of card. Curious as to what it was, she pulled it out and looked at it. She drew in a sharp breath when she recognized what it was.

With trembling fingers she thumbed open the blue envelope and flipped open the card. A rogue tear made its way down her cheek as she read the card. Gibbs had neatly struck off Luke's name and replaced it with his own, so that the card now had a different feel to it.

Her head was beginning to hurt and she could feel a migraine coming on. She decided she was going to rest for a while

"Yeah, if only," she thought to herself as she read the card. The notion of Gibbs even being remotely interested in her was insane, and Kate was sure she was in no way harebrained, so she closed the card and placed it back into the jacket pocket. However the words Gibbs had written in the card swam in front of her eyes, and she was unable to forget that one specific sentence.

_You are cordially invited to the engagement ceremony of Caitlin Todd to __Lucas Brown no scratch that__ Leroy Jethro Gibbs._

Clearly there was no chance for that now… she had made her decision to leave and Director Morrow had already accepted her resignation.

Now… back in the basement

They sanded, in silence, for a long while, with Gibbs guiding and helping her. The air was growing warm and stuffy and she was pretty sure if they kept this up for much longer, neither of them would be able to breathe in the congested basement. Still, she waited for Gibbs to make the first move, as he was the one who had called her at two in the morning, not that she minded though. She knew if she had called him, he would have rushed over to her place as well. She was seriously beginning to doubt if he was going to leave his basement tonight, it seemed the only thing he was interested in was building his boat.

She had almost given up on him, when she felt the shift in his body. His hands no longer held the sanding block in a vicelike grip, he was starting to relax somewhat and she was relieved. She felt his breath cascade down her shoulder, through the thin material of her pullover and his lips followed shortly, creating sparks throughout her body. She knew this was wrong, she knew this was not supposed to happen and yet she was powerless to stop this man, who was already so tormented in his mind.

His hands released the sanding block and positioned itself on her waist, his fingers lifting the material of her pullover until it came into contact with her warm, smooth, soft skin. She craned her neck, offering him more of herself, knowing that was the release he needed, and gasped with pleasure as his graceful fingers drew simple patterns on her abdomen and waist. He turned her to face him in one fluid motion and wasted no time in acquainting his lips with her neck and jaw line.

She pulled back from him, her eyes questioning his in a simple look.

Was he absolutely sure about his decision, because there was no going back from here, this was the point of no return.

His answer was a breath stealing kiss as their mouths melded together and their hearts beat in sync. Her back pushed into the rib of the boat and he sidled closer to her, eliminating the distance between them. He moaned something she could quite understand, but that was okay, she made him feel, and that was what was important for her.

Suddenly he broke away, but did not let go of her. Instead he linked his hand with hers and guided her out of the up the staircase and out of the basement and into the first bedroom, pausing every few steps to kiss her warmly.

He woke up the next morning to a steaming mug of strong smelling coffee and a note placed under it. He rubbed his hand over his face, as the memories came flooding back. He should not have had so much to drink.

_Jethro by the time you read this I will be gone. _

_Please do not feel bad about what happened last night, but more importantly please do not regret it because I don't._

_One last thing please don't try contacting me either, I know you have all the resources to do so, but I would appreciate it if you don't. _

_Bye_

He heard the front door close softly, but by the time he rushed down the stairs and came to the porch Lilly was already gone.

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That's the end for this story. Hope you guys enjoyed it...

Feedback will be appreciated greatly.

And if you're a fan of Law and Order: SVU keep your eyes peeled, I'm working on a fic for that fandom, which will be posted soon.

Till then, Live without limits people and enjoy the rest of your day or evening depending on where in the world you are.

HR


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